Portret van een onbekende man c. 1870 - 1890

Editor: Here we have a gelatin-silver print dating from around 1870-1890, attributed to Woodbury & Page. It's titled 'Portret van een onbekende man' - Portrait of an Unknown Man. There's a stark simplicity to it, almost clinical in its clarity. What stands out to you about this image? Curator: It’s fascinating how photography democratized portraiture. The labor involved in painting a likeness versus creating a photographic print is vast. What does it mean to capture an image, especially of someone ‘unknown,’ when the process itself relies on specific chemical processes and the availability of materials? Editor: That's an interesting angle. I hadn't really considered the chemicals involved. Curator: Think about the industrialization of photographic materials: gelatin, silver. Where were these sourced? Who processed them? Who was able to access this technology? And why? These processes dictate who gets seen and how. Editor: So, it’s not just about the man in the portrait, but also about the means of producing the image that includes and excludes specific identities in its cultural landscape? Curator: Precisely. Even the format – gelatin-silver-print – reflects a particular moment in the history of material culture and how that impacts photographic practices. How was portraiture made accessible to the working or merchant class thanks to these new material practices? It’s not about brushstrokes or painterly skill; it is more about reproducible manufacturing processes to facilitate access and circulation. Editor: So, understanding the materials and production sheds light on the socio-economic context and even impacts accessibility for marginalized people? I'll definitely view photographs with fresh eyes going forward. Curator: Indeed. By looking at production and availability of materials we can reconsider the artistic practices and its legacy through completely different – and revealing – lenses.